Bishopscourt burgled in Nassau

Author:

George Conger

Armed robbers invaded the home of the Bishop of The Bahamas this morning, robbing his family while he was on a pastoral visit to Antigua. On 30 August 2017 a spokesman for the Diocese of The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos Islands confirmed that at approximately 7:30 this morning, bandits entered the grounds of the bishop’s home in the San Souci section of Nassau.

As the bishop’s three sons, nephew and his personal assistant entered the vehicle, the bandits drew their guns and robbed them, taking cash, cellphones, laptops, jewelry and the bishop’s car, a Toyota Camry. The car was later found by police abandoned on Jerome Avenue.

The diocese released a statement saying the Rt. Rev. Laish Boyd “is on route from a visit to Antigua and will be back later today. Please pray for the Bishop and all other involved in this most unfortunate incident. Let us pray also for the perpetrators of such crimes.”

Though violent crime fell by 26 per cent in 2016 from the previous year, crime remains a serious problem. Last week the Sunday collection at St George’s Anglican Church in Nassau was stolen, when thieves intercepted the church treasurer on his way to the bank on Monday morning.

The US State Department has warned Americans visiting that crimes against tourists in Nassau and Grand Bahama have risen to “critical” levels.

The Bureau of Diplomatic Security’s Bahamas 2017 Crime and Safety report stated: “Gangs are present. There has been targeted gang-related violence, including a drive-by shooting that resulted in one death and two injuries next to Embassy-owned residential properties.”

The report said the “upsurge in criminal activity has led to incidents that could place innocent bystanders at risk,” with the Embassy receiving “reports of assaults, including sexual assaults, at residences, hotel rooms, casinos, outside hotels, and on cruise ships. In some sexual assault incidents, the victim reportedly had been drugged.”

The report said the Royal Bahamas Police Force was a professional organization that took its work seriously. However, it was starved for resources. “Police have limited emergency vehicles, and streets and houses are generally unmarked, inhibiting responders from locating affected residences. To ensure quick response to a residence, victims may have to go to the local police station and provide transportation to the site” for officers.